Efforts to analyze trace levels of cyclic peroxides by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry gave evidence that acetonitrile suppressed ion formation. Further investigations extended this discovery to ketones, linear peroxides, esters, and possibly many other types of compounds, including triazole and menadione. Direct ionization suppression caused by acetonitrile was observed for multiple adduct types in both electrospray ionization and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization. The addition of only 2% acetonitrile significantly decreased the sensitivity of analyte response. Efforts to identify the mechanism were made using various nitriles. The ion suppression was reduced by substitution of an acetonitrile hydrogen with an electron-withdrawing group, but was exacerbated by electron-donating or steric groups adjacent to the nitrile. Although current theory does not explain this phenomenon, we propose that polar interactions between the various functionalities and the nitrile may be forming neutral aggregates that manifest as ionization suppression.
Laser-induced acoustic desorption (LIAD) was successfully coupled to a conventional atmospheric pressure chemical ionization
(APCI) source in a commercial linear quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer (LQIT). Model compounds representing a wide variety
of different types, including basic nitrogen and oxygen compounds, aromatic and aliphatic compounds, as well as unsaturated
and saturated hydrocarbons, were tested separately and as a mixture. These model compounds were successfully evaporated into
the gas phase by using LIAD and then ionized by using APCI with different reagents. From the four APCI reagent systems tested,
neat carbon disulfide provided the best results. The mixture of methanol and water produced primarily protonated molecules,
as expected. However, only the most basic compounds yielded ions under these conditions. In sharp contrast, using APCI with
either neat benzene or neat carbon disulfide as the reagent resulted in the ionization of all the analytes studied to predominantly
yield stable molecular ions. Benzene yielded a larger fraction of protonated molecules than carbon disulfide, which is a disadvantage.
A similar but minor amount of fragmentation was observed for these two reagents. When the experiment was performed without
a liquid reagent (nitrogen gas was the reagent), more fragmentation was observed. Analysis of a known mixture as well as a
petroleum cut was also carried out. In summary, the new experiment presented here allows the evaporation of thermally labile
compounds, both polar and nonpolar, without dissociation or aggregation, and their ionization to predominantly form stable
molecular ions. 相似文献
Collision-induced dissociation (CID) experiments were performed on atmospheric ion adducts [M + R]– formed between various types of organic compounds M and atmospheric negative ions R- [such as O2–, HCO3–, COO–(COOH), NO2–, NO3–, and NO3–(HNO3)] in negative-ion mode atmospheric pressure corona discharge ionization (APCDI) mass spectrometry. All of the [M + R]– adducts were fragmented to form deprotonated analytes [M – H]– and/or atmospheric ions R–, whose intensities in the CID spectra were dependent on the proton affinities of the [M – H]– and R– fragments. Precursor ions [M + R]– for which R- have higher proton affinities than [M – H]– formed [M – H]– as the dominant product. Furthermore, the CID of the adducts with HCO3– and NO3-(HNO3) led to other product ions such as [M + HO]– and NO3–, respectively. The fragmentation behavior of [M + R]– for each R– observed was independent of analyte type (e.g., whether the analyte was aliphatic or aromatic, or possessed certain functional groups). 相似文献
A novel, gas-tight API interface for gas chromatography–mass spectrometry was used to study the ionization mechanism in direct and dopant-assisted atmospheric pressure photoionization (APPI) and atmospheric pressure laser ionization (APLI). Eight analytes (ethylbenzene, bromobenzene, naphthalene, anthracene, benzaldehyde, pyridine, quinolone, and acridine) with varying ionization energies (IEs) and proton affinities (PAs), and four common APPI dopants (toluene, acetone, anisole, and chlorobenzene) were chosen. All the studied compounds were ionized by direct APPI, forming mainly molecular ions. Addition of dopants suppressed the signal of the analytes with IEs above the IE of the dopant. For compounds with suitable IEs or Pas, the dopants increased the ionization efficiency as the analytes could be ionized through dopant-mediated gas-phase reactions, such as charge exchange, proton transfer, and other rather unexpected reactions, such as formation of [M?+?77]+ in the presence of chlorobenzene. Experiments with deuterated toluene as the dopant verified that in case of proton transfer, the proton originated from the dopant instead of proton-bound solvent clusters, as in conventional open or non-tight APPI sources. In direct APLI using a 266 nm laser, a narrower range of compounds was ionized than in direct APPI, because of exceedingly high IEs or unfavorable two-photon absorption cross-sections. Introduction of dopants in the APLI system changed the ionization mechanism to similar dopant-mediated gas-phase reactions with the dopant as in APPI, which produced mainly ions of the same form as in APPI, and ionized a wider range of analytes than direct APLI. Graphical Abstract
In this paper, we demonstrate the first use of an atmospheric pressure microplasma-based vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) photoionization source in atmospheric pressure mass spectrometry applications. The device is a robust, easy-to-operate microhollow cathode discharge (MHCD) that enables generation of VUV photons from Ne and Ne/H2 gas mixtures. Photons were detected by excitation of a microchannel plate detector and by analysis of diagnostic sample ions using a mass spectrometer. Reactive ions, charged particles, and metastables produced in the discharge were blocked from entering the ionization region by means of a lithium fluoride window, and photoionization was performed in a nitrogen-purged environment. By reducing the output pressure of the MHCD, we observed heightened production of higher-energy photons, making the photoionization source more effective. The initial performance of the MHCD VUV source has been evaluated by ionizing model analytes such as acetone, azulene, benzene, dimethylaniline, and glycine, which were introduced in solid or liquid phase. These molecules represent species with both high and low proton affinities, and ionization energies ranging from 7.12 to 9.7 eV. Figure
The interaction between negative atmospheric ions and various types of organic compounds were investigated using atmospheric
pressure corona discharge ionization (APCDI) mass spectrometry. Atmospheric negative ions such as O2–, HCO3–, COO–(COOH), NO2–, NO3–, and NO3–(HNO3) having different proton affinities served as the reactant ions for analyte ionization in APCDI in negative-ion mode. The
individual atmospheric ions specifically ionized aliphatic and aromatic compounds with various functional groups as atmospheric
ion adducts and deprotonated analytes. The formation of the atmospheric ion adducts under certain discharge conditions is
most likely attributable to the affinity between the analyte and atmospheric ion and the concentration of the atmospheric
ion produced under these conditions. The deprotonated analytes, in contrast, were generated from the adducts of the atmospheric
ions with higher proton affinity attributable to efficient proton abstraction from the analyte by the atmospheric ion. 相似文献
An internal standard system has been developed for a mass spectrometer equipped with an atmospheric pressure chemical ionization source. The system has been used to overcome sensitivity drift problems that are commonly encountered when the spectrometer is used for long-term environmental monitoring. Additionally, the internal standard has been used to correct sensitivity changes induced by the matrix being analyzed. Principal components of the system are a low concentration internal standard source and a flow-delivery system for introducing the standard to the reagent gas delivery stream of the spectrometer. Following an experiment, real-time data are downloaded to a personal computer where internal standard correction and data analysis are performed. Application of the internal standard to the measurement of nicotine and pyridine is demonstrated. 相似文献
The efficiencies of charge exchange reaction in dopant-assisted atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (DA-APCI) and dopant-assisted atmospheric pressure photoionization (DA-APPI) mass spectrometry (MS) were compared by flow injection analysis. Fourteen individual compounds and a commercial mixture of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were chosen as model analytes to cover a wide range of polarities, gas-phase ionization energies, and proton affinities. Chlorobenzene was used as the dopant, and methanol/water (80/20) as the solvent. In both techniques, analytes formed the same ions (radical cations, protonated molecules, and/or fragments). However, in DA-APCI, the relative efficiency of charge exchange versus proton transfer was lower than in DA-APPI. This is suggested to be because in DA-APCI both dopant and solvent clusters can be ionized, and the formed reagent ions can react with the analytes via competing charge exchange and proton transfer reactions. In DA-APPI, on the other hand, the main reagents are dopant-derived radical cations, which favor ionization of analytes via charge exchange. The efficiency of charge exchange in both DA-APPI and DA-APCI was shown to depend heavily on the solvent flow rate, with best efficiency seen at lowest flow rates studied (0.05 and 0.1 mL/min). Both DA-APCI and DA-APPI showed the radical cation of chlorobenzene at 0.05–0.1 mL/min flow rate, but at increasing flow rate, the abundance of chlorobenzene M+. decreased and reagent ion populations deriving from different gas-phase chemistry were recorded. The formation of these reagent ions explains the decreasing ionization efficiency and the differences in charge exchange between the techniques.
We propose detecting a fragment ion (Ph2As+) using counter-flow introduction atmospheric pressure chemical ionization ion trap mass spectrometry for sensitive air monitoring of chemical warfare vomiting agents diphenylchloroarsine (DA) and diphenylcyanoarsine (DC). The liquid sample containing of DA, DC, and bis(diphenylarsine)oxide (BDPAO) was heated in a dry air line, and the generated vapor was mixed into the humidified air flowing through the sampling line of a mass spectrometer. Humidity effect on the air monitoring was investigated by varying the humidity of the analyzed air sample. Evidence of the in-line conversion of DA and DC to diphenylarsine hydroxide (DPAH) and then BDPAO was obtained by comparing the chronograms of various ions from the beginning of heating. Multiple-stage mass spectrometry revealed that the protonated molecule (MH+) of DA, DC, DPAH, and BDPAO could produce Ph2As+ through their in-source fragmentation. Among the signals of the ions that were investigated, the Ph2As+ signal was the most intense and increased to reach a plateau with the increased air humidity, whereas the MH+ signal of DA decreased. It was suggested that DA and DC were converted in-line into BDPAO, which was a major source of Ph2As+.
